The Game

vMOBilize integrates social networking and gaming theory into the development of a social network web-based
get-out-the-vote game. The game makes use of players' social networks and provides incentives for players to seek
out first-time and non-habitual voters to join their voting teams.

Players participate in the game on a team. Each team is led by a captain. Captains are responsible for recruiting
new team members, diversifying their network, and activating new outreach campaigns through their players.

Captains invite members of their social network to join their team, with the agreement that these new players
promise to vote in the upcoming election. Captains have the option of recruiting Assistant Captains (A.C.s), who
would share in the Get out the Vote (GOTV) effort.

Upon registering his or her team, a captain will be asked for permission to access their social networks
(e.g., Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter). They will then be given the opportunity to write an invitation message to
members of their networks, or to use one of several pre-written messages.

It is the responsibility of the team Captain and his/her players to keep the election on the minds of team
members and to maximize the likelihood that their team members will vote on Election Day.

Teams compete for points. Points are allotted to teams based on how many additional players they recruit,
as well as the voting history of the recruits. For instance, first-time voters and occasional voters are worth
more points than people who vote all the time. (Historical voting records are publically available in electronic
form and can be integrated into our web app. Upon signing up, the website will attempt to locate the new recruit's
identity in the voter history files and then attempt to verify the individual's record, using whatever information
is available.)

Team members can also earn points throughout the game, by recruiting new members, and by competing various
challenges along the way. For example, captains will have the option of identifying pre-approved charities and
raising funds for their chosen charity from their team. Charitable donations will increase teams' total point
tally in the game.

Remember, though... all the points that an individual earns for his/her team are embargoed until Election Day.
These points only end up counting towards the team's total if that person actually votes. The votes will be
indirectly verified by using smart-phone GPS to validate whether each team member showed up at their registered
polling place on Election Day. Early voters will be pre-tallied. The site uses location services, synced with a
web-based app, for this purpose. The sole task for team members will be to "check in" with the web app when they
arrive at their designated polling place.

In addition to verifying turnout, the web app will track all teams, their point totals, their networks,
charitable contributions, and other information about the teams. It will also serve as a hub for interactions
between the game administrators (ourselves) and the teams. Occasionally, team members who have agreed to respond
to surveys, might be invited to respond to questions to help the site founders with ongoing research projects.

Snapshot

Join the game as a Captain launching a new team, or as a player joining an existing team.

Ask people in your social networks to join your team.

Get points for reaching out and growing your team.

Get more points for bringing on board people who aren't usually into politics.

Get points for other challenges along the way.

Points only end up in your team tally if you actually vote on Election Day.

Virtual rewards and prizes will be awarded to star players.

The team with the most points wins.

Contact Us

Do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or feature requests: